Tuesday, January 24, 2012

On Sunday night I was faced with a 'what to wear' dilemma. Not uncommon, but this time it was for Curryoke. Curry and karaoke is a Glaswegian institution. I was still hungover from a party the night before so I wasn't in the mood for anything ultra glam. So I reached for this 60s mini dress I recently acquired from eBay. It is super short (in the mood of the time I suppose), so thick, opaque tights are essential. I needed operational hair, so I tied it back with this metal spiked hairband from Topshop which is my recent, favoured hair accessory.

What did I sing?

Prince - Little Red Corvette

All Saints - Never Ever

If I was staying on in Glasgow I would probably make Karaoke nights a regular occurrence to be honest. Let's see if I can convince my Irish pals to join me for a bit of a belter.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

"ATELIER PUBLIC is an exhibition that takes the form of a working artist studio – one that everyone is invited to come into, to make artworks there that will become part of the installation. The exhibition, in GoMA’s Gallery 3, will be a space for looking, thinking, exploring and making.

As well as extending an open invitation to the public, the exhibition’s curator has also asked particular artists, thinkers and makers who have a special interest in play, creativity and the imagination to engage with the space throughout the duration of the exhibition. These mini-residencies will help to shape and record what happens."

During the week, a friend and I decided to spend a day visiting some of Glasgow's modern art galleries, admittedly, contemporary art galleries are not something I would go out of my way to visit, but there's such a wealth of them here it would be a sin not to take full advantage!

One of the exhibits my friend was keen to see was Atelier Public, on the top floor of GoMA (Glasgow Museum of Modern Art). The exhibition has been running since November 10th, 2011 and finishes today.

I was interested to see how the exhibition space was presented and how the public had participated, considering it was within an official gallery framework (ie. GoMA). I had good fun wandering around, making my own contribution and taking pictures, which you can see below. It felt very informal and comfortable, like being in playschool again, taking part in something communal and far reaching.

Books for inspiration, much like you'd see in an artists studio.

Some more creative and dedicated folk had even crafted complex kinetic objects! They added more drama and interest to the space.

Irony found a space too.

Some people prefer to make a non-artistic contribution, but to participate in the exhibition.

Some additions were more thought out and symbolic.

My addition to the space, some clumsy celtic spirals.

When I first arrived I didn't know much about the exhibition or its concept at all. I haven't flexed my creative muscles in years so I was hesitant to get involved, preferring to admire everyone else's crafts. Soon however, the participatory and relaxed mood of the setting got me eager to get involved. My addition can be seen above! It was an amateur effort, like the majority of the exhibit itself, which was refreshing to see in a gallery setting. No preconceptions, no expectations, just an invitation to get involved!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Over the Christmas, as a present to myself, I treated myself to Magnum Ireland, a beautiful compilation of photographs of Ireland, rural and urban, north and south, east and west, from the 1950s to the 2000s, as seen through the lenses of iconic Magnum photographers, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, Josef Koudelka, Inge Morath, Erich Lessing, Eve Arnold, Martine Franck, Martin Parr, Bruce Gilden, Donovan Wylie, Stuart Franklin, and others. The international scope of the book enriches the pages.

Legendary photographer, Eve Arnold (1912 – 2012) passed away on Wednesday last, January 4th. Arnold was one of the first female photojournalists to join the prestigious Magnum Photography Agency in the 1950s. Her diverse body of work included not only portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich but poignant images of the West of Ireland in the mid-seventies, as the country and the West was rapidly changing, old ways of life modernising, old traditions being lost.

Some more of Eve Arnold's images of Ireland can be seen here, and other images of Ireland taken by Magnum photographers, can be seen here at Slate.

There is a hint of the romance of "traditional" Ireland contained here, yet it lacks a picture postcard sentimentality. It speaks of something real, something dwindling. The contented faces of the characters are what I enjoy the most. As an outsider, Arnold is capable of capturing something of the last frontiers of tradition in a modernising world.

small town girl

Zoë, 24 year old art history graduate, from Sligo, Ireland. Searching for culture in the West of Ireland and beyond. Writes about the arts, culture, film and feminism. "The one thing I regret is that I will never have time to read all the books I want to read." (Francoise Sagan)(About)